Darkened Days

by C. L. Quinn

  Starla asked the red-lipped woman where Jacob was. The woman smiled tolerantly.

  “Oh, that one? We let him go right after you got here. We warned him about his actions. He left very quickly and said he was sorry he had ever gotten involved with you guys. Smart man.”

  At that moment the blood in Starla’s veins pooled in her chest, squeezing her heart into stone. She’d let down her guard and let him in. And he had abandoned her.

  “Oh,” she said lamely and turned away from the cell door. As her legs came out from under her, she collapsed on the hard floor. He’d left her. After his gentle, concerned manner and the promise he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her, he’d left her abandoned in a barred cell with no support system at all. Well. Wasn’t he just a hero, after all?

  She threw her head back against the concrete wall too hard, and was rewarded with sudden splinters of light, sharp pain, and sticky hair. She was bleeding. It didn’t matter. Starla knew she was bleeding more on the inside.

  Damn it! Damn it! She’d let herself believe him. To believe in him! But it was all postulating and convenience. Now, with her group in trouble with whatever-the-fuck-he-was vampire, he took off to protect himself.

  Never again, she told herself. Never, never-the-fuck again. She was on her own. More now than before. Because now she didn’t even have the cadre.

  And she couldn’t stay with Henri. He would stay with her but since she couldn’t return that love, it wasn’t fair to him. Plus, she was through having sex with vampires just for the sake of sex. She was ready to find someone to share this new life with. Until then, celibacy.

  So, when they were released, she and Henri reached the outskirts of the city and stopped in a parking lot outside a fast food restaurant where she turned to Henri and gave him a long hug.

  “Henri, you have been such a wonderful friend. But I think we must part ways now. You know he wants us to stay away from clusters that can be suspicious to humans. I think you need to stay with some of the group. You’ve been with them so long.”

  “No, no, chérie. I will stay with you. We can travel. Anywhere in the world we want.”

  “No, Henri. Look,” She pushed back and hiked up on the hood of an old pickup truck. She made sure he was paying attention.

  “I love you. I do. You’re a good man. I would be a fool not to want to travel the world with you. But Henri, I am not in love with you. Not the way you are with me. I don’t think that’s a surprise to you. You deserve to be with someone who can give you everything.”

  “Star, I am happy with you. With what we have. I do not want anyone or anything else.”

  “You will. Because here’s the thing. I’m done with sex. Until I can be with someone I am in love with, I’m done. As a vampire, I know how hard it will be. I couldn’t put you through that. You don’t want that life.”

  “No. But I want you. Why can you not love me?”

  “I do, Henri! You must know that! But like I would love a brother. I don’t know why it is like that, but I cannot change how I feel. It isn’t that fiery, all-consuming passionate love I think we are both looking for.”

  “I feel that for you.”

  She shook her head. “But you shouldn’t. There is a great love waiting for you out there in that world you want to explore, my dear friend. I would be the worst friend ever to get in your way.”

  He was silent. And turned away. Starla had nothing else to say to him, so they remained speechless for several long minutes when he turned back to her.

  “If you believe this is so. If you believe my great love is out there in the world waiting for me, then how about this? We go together. We travel. We find our fiery loves together. This way, we are not alone. We have each other’s backs. Oui? A good plan.”

  She looked at him, from his tear-filled dark eyes to his stiff body. Was she ready to say goodbye to him? No.

  Could they pull this off?

  “You think you can maintain a platonic relationship with me?”

  He paused before he answered, too happily, “Sans doute.”

  Without doubt. Starla saw the pained squint. It would be difficult for him. But she wanted to try.

  “You’re lying. But I want to give it a shot. I love being with you. You’ve been my anchor through all of this. My best friend. So, pinkie swear, we will be just good buddies looking for adventure. And if love comes along for either of us, c’est formidable. Oui?”

  Henri smiled, that glorious all-out joie de vivre smile she’d come to love.

  So even in the darkest times, there was light. It was something Starla would come to embrace through her journeys ahead.

  He felt like someone had bashed his head in. Pain was not common for vampires, and certainly not headaches. But Jacob had a mother of one. And he still had only the shabby blanket to cover himself. It had been two days since he saw Crystal the psychotic jailer. A large dopey kid brought him a bag of rank blood and a huge bowl of some nasty stew twice each night. And that was his entire interaction. He hoped like hell she would eventually contact Koen, but he suspected she wouldn’t. Too much time had passed. They would have come for him. Bas wouldn’t have let anything stop him.

  He wanted to ask about Starla, but his instincts told him it wasn’t wise. So he bided his time. He figured he was smart enough, eventually, to get out of this on his own. He just hoped like hell it wasn’t going to take too much longer. The stew wasn’t cutting it for nutrition, his ass hurt from the hard floor, and he kind of wanted to get a pair of pants.

  No one liked it when Koen was upset. The big man had an even temper these days, but when it blew, the household staff scattered like scared children. His family rolled their eyes as he rampaged. But this time, everyone agreed he was right.

  “What the fuck is going on with these abductions? Jacob is a well-seasoned vampire. He couldn’t have been taken easily. It had to have been this cadre downtown Paris. Eillia, what do you know about them?”

  “Practically nothing, Koen. Jacob spoke with a friend in Paris who told him about a group of young vampires tearing up holy hell. She’s blood-bonded to Xavier. She told him they’ve been converting people against their will. He went to check it out. We have to start there. I’ll call him.”

  “Good. I’ll call right now. What’s the number?”

  “Good heavens, Koen. I said I would call him! I know you don’t want to with your history. You stay here and work with the builders. I miss Paris. I think Tamesine will be alright if I go in to search for Jacob for a few days.”

  Daniel stepped up.

  “I don’t know. She seems a little unsettled lately. You might want to just let me and Koen go.”

  “I’m tired of feeling useless, baby. All I do is sit around and worry about Starla. And now Jacob.”

  “I think you’re too far along to be doing much traveling. Plus, I really am very worried about Tamesine. She’s just too volatile.”

  Bas entered the room slipping his cell into his pocket.

  “I heard that. I agree with Daniel. Tamesine’s still uneasy. I’ll go.”

  “No. You and Park are just finishing your villa. You guys are paranoid about Tamesine. I know her now. She’s okay.”

  Eillia shook her head and let her eyes wander between the three large men in the room. Three vampires. Koen, a first blood she’d known for millennia. Bas, she’d held as a dear friend for over two hundred years. And Daniel. The mate and father of a child she had never expected to have. They were magnificent men.

  “Eillia…” Daniel started to say, but she cut him off.

  “Who do you see when you look at her now? She’s as volatile as her puppies.”

  Daniel winced. “It’s a look in her eyes. Just, not friendly.”

  Eillia laughed.

  “She isn’t looking at you with hostility, Daniel. She’s looking at you with interest. She finds you attractive. It’s okay. So do I.”

  “Babe, that’s just all sorts of wrong. She scares the shit out of me.�
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  “Oh, sweetie, you were still human when you had your problem with her. You’re a big strong vampire now. Get past it.”

  “I still don’t like the fact that she’s in the room right next to us.”

  “She’s connected to our son, and to me through him. She’s not a threat anymore. Actually, she thinks you’re one of the most handsome men she’s ever seen. And that’s through a lot of years, so it’s quite a compliment.”

  “I still don’t trust her. But I trust you. So, whatever you want, I support it.”

  “Good. Because I’m going with you to Paris.”

  Daniel nodded and turned away, headed out of the house. You bet your ass he didn’t trust that crazy first blood that had some kind of weird connection to his unborn son.

  He kept his guard up anytime she was with his family. He would defend them with his last breath if she ever tried to hurt them, even though he knew she was much more powerful than he would ever be. He still remembered her fingers on his package several months back when she was full-on crazy, planning to eat him and fuck him before killing him. He couldn’t imagine ever trusting her or liking her like his wife had been able to.

  He trusted Eillia with every fiber of his being. He believed her when she said Tamesine would never hurt them now. But he couldn’t get beyond their past when she raised her pale blue eyes and stared at him. His new skill included some of Eillia’s empathic abilities and he still got an odd, uneasy vibe from her.

  But Eillia mattered most of all. And their baby, nestled safely inside Eillia’s warm belly. He understood what Tamesine felt when she connected with the boy who was not yet born to the world. Daniel had done so also. Amazed, he’d cried the first time he “felt” the rare and beautiful gift of a first blood child that he had been able to create with Eillia. Only two other first blood children were known to have been born to this generation of first bloods.

  The mission now was to find the two missing people. Jacob, who had been with the family for over two centuries and a young waitress Eillia had special feelings for. He would be forever grateful for the events that led them from so much tragedy through healing to love.

  Daniel went back inside up to the large suite of apartments they had on the fourth floor of Koen’s villa in southern France. His very pregnant wife tucked some clothing into a small duffle bag and looked up when he entered. He thought she became more beautiful each day.

  How the hell could perfection become even more perfect?

  “Hey, sweetie, could you go next door and tell Tamesine I need to see her?”

  “Really?” he asked, wincing.

  Eillia came forward and took his face in her hands.

  “Daniel, you may as well get used to her. She’s going to be in our lives for a very long time. You have to forgive her.”

  “I do forgive her. Just can’t seem to forget how she nearly killed us.”

  “It’s part of our world, Daniel, that things change through all the years. Things fall apart so they can come back together. People change, for better or worse. We adapt. And we move forth in whatever direction it takes us. So. Husband. Go get her for me, thank you.”

  “Yes, wife,” he said in compliance and submission. God, she was lovely when she was forceful. Yeah, he was happily whipped.

  He knocked sharply, once, on the door to the adjacent bedroom. A singsongy voice called out, “Come in,” and he turned the knob.

  Tamesine was on the floor playing with two golden retriever puppies they had sent for from her home in New Zealand. One of them raced forward and he scooped it up into his arms.

  “Daniel,” Tamesine squealed. “Hi! Are you here to play with the pups?”

  “No,” he said, scratching the one he held behind the ear. He really did like the dogs. He had never in his life had a pet and he could see now why people loved them.

  “Eillia needs to speak with you.” He didn’t have to tell her where she was. Tamesine knew. Her connection with his son included psycho tracking…she always knew where the baby was. Right now, that included Eillia too.

  “Okay.” She got up and smoothed down her dress. It was too tight, and too dressy for sitting on the floor and playing with puppies. But Tamesine rarely did anything according to social convention. He wasn’t sure she was capable. Still, he found it disconcerting that she wielded the strongest powers of any first blood, and could barely brush her own teeth. It was like giving a nuclear bomb to a child. All sorts of things could go wrong.

  Just outside Paris, Starla and Henri sat in an all- night diner, the first step in their journey away from everything they’d known since becoming vampire. With enough food on the table to feed ten humans, they “buffeted” their way through half the entire menu of the place. Crunching on American style potatoes, Starla swiped her mouth and killed an entire glass of diet coke. Lifelong habit, she certainly didn’t need “diet” anything anymore, but she still ordered it.

  “Where would you like to start, Henri?”

  “Africa,” he said, without hesitation. “I’ve always been fascinated with the dark continent. Is that okay with you?”

  “I love it! Let’s do it. Let’s go. Have you traveled since you were changed?”

  “Very little. Not on a plane. I think we just have to be careful crossing into daylight.”

  “Umm,” Starla acknowledged, mouth too full for words.

  “So, I guess we just get to the airport and go from there. I’m excited. Do you want to pick up some clothes and luggage here? Or wait until we arrive?”

  “I don’t care. Maybe basics here. Then, let’s just get on the plane. No delay, okay?”

  After this past week, Starla wanted this place behind her as quickly as possible. She wanted to forget Eillia and Jacob ever existed. Killing the remaining tall glass of vanilla ice cream, she grabbed Henri’s hand and they left quickly, having already compelled the waitress to believe they had paid their bill in full.

  With eight hours of darkness ahead, they shopped for five, found shelter for the day, and awakened the next night with grins as they took a taxi to Charles de Gaulle Airport for the seven hour flight to Cairo.

  As they waited to board the plane, Starla pulled something out of her satchel, looked at it for several long moments, then pushed it into a trash bin. Jacob’s shirt fell twisted onto a pile of discarded food containers.

  “What was that?” Henri asked.

  “Nothing. Just…” She paused. “Reminder of a fairytale.”

  “Huh,” Henri said absentmindedly.

  But as they boarded, Starla looked back at the bin.

  Henri danced down the aisle as they stowed their few items and took their seats.

  While their plane circled above the airport to adjust its trajectory, Starla watched the lights fade as they left Paris behind and wondered if Jacob would remember her at all.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Cairo at night was an incredible sight. Especially for a young girl who had lived her entire life in a small fishing village where she knew everyone by name and had about two options for entertainment.

  Excitement welled up from the pit of her stomach as she embarked on this journey with Henri. The Pyramids, the Sphinx, the diversity of cultures, new food, new music, new landscapes. She wondered if the blood would taste different. After all, food affects blood chemistry, so would an Egyptian’s blood taste different than an American’s blood? She smiled at the notion of finding out. Although she occupied the widow seat, Henri was practically in her lap as he tried to see the cityscape before they landed.

  “Magnifique!” he cried. “You know they call Cairo Paris of the Mideast.”

  “I know. This was a perfect place to start our new lives. Thank you, Henri, for letting me come with you.”

  “I cannot imagine this trip without you. I did not feel at home in the vam…” He looked around at the largely empty plane, but there was a young man too near. He lowered his voice. “I did not feel like it was home with them until you came. And I understa
nd we are not a couple. Do not worry. But do not be jealous when I find myself a Nubian goddess.”

  Starla smiled, her eyes bright. “I will help you with that.”

  “Ah, a threesome, you mean?”

  “No. I meant it. I’m celibate.” She lowered her voice, her eyes going to the passenger two rows behind them. “I’m a celibate vampire.”

  Henri dropped back into his seat and rolled his eyes.

  “Not for long, you aren’t. Sex is almost an imperative. Like blood.”

  “We need blood to live. We do not need sex to live.”

  Henri tore open a bag of nuts and began to pitch them into his mouth.

  “You will see,” was all he said and turned to ask the stewardess for four bottles of each type of alcohol. She complied as he knew she would to his command.

  “Time to begin the party,” he murmured and pulled his tray out to accommodate all the little bottles of alcohol she brought to him in a small box.

  “Agreed,” Starla said, and reached for the vodka.

  He felt it was nearly dusk. He hadn’t seen outside of this cell since he got here. A week ago? And although he knew it was night, he still felt exhausted.

  She hadn’t given him his clothes back. He’d adapted the threadbare blanket into a wrap that covered his lower region, not out of modesty, but for comfort. And because he knew she got off by seeing him naked and vulnerable. She hadn’t climbed on him again, though, since that first night. He had no illusion that it wouldn’t happen. He didn’t know what she was waiting for, but he knew that he was nothing but a sex toy to her now.

  He’d made the mistake of asking about Starla. And the bitch was using her now to gain his compliance.

  She’d made it crystal clear that first week.

  “You have an interest in the little brunette vampire? She is lovely. So quiet. Still quite an innocent. If you want her to remain that way, you give me no trouble. Otherwise, I can arrange for some of my less, uh, gentle, soldiers to visit her in her cell. Comprendre?” Crystal made sure she was safe on the other side of the bars when she told him.